Now, diluted milk racket busted in Khar

Just days after four vendors were arrested for adding sewage water in milk packets in Vile Parle, police catch eight persons in the act as they were adulterating milk in Khar

Coinciding with World Milk Day and the start of a month-long campaign against the menace of adulterated milk in the city, the Khar police in a joint operation with the FDA have arrested eight persons and recovered a large quantity of adulterated milk at Chaukute Chawl in Khar.

Unhealthy fusion: Police and the FDA officials caught the adulterators in the act while they were mixing water in the milk

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided seven different locations in Khar and caught the adulterators in the act mixing water in the milk. “We had laid a trap and caught the culprits red-handed between 5.30 and 6.30 am. We arrested eight persons for selling milk mixed with water to customers. Three are still absconding,” said Mangesh Pote, senior PI, Khar police station. He added, “We recovered 572 litres of adulterated milk, and FDA officers destroyed part of the seized milk after taking a few packets as evidence.

Modus operandi During interrogation, the accused told the police that they used to cut open a tiny hole in branded milk packets of Amul, Gokul, Mahananda, Priyadarshini and would take out 150 ml milk from it. After filling it with water, they sold the adulterated milk to houses and residential complexes in the vicinity.

The eight accused —Dhanlaxmi Chirupuri (25), Narsayya Nalmadi (20), Ganesh Budhiya (19), Ravindra Sahu (19), Laxmi Nalmadi (25), Sumlati Budhiya (24), Balmati Bamgani (20), Chandrama Nalmadi (35) — were produced at Bandra Court and remanded to police custody. They have been charged under section 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale, 273 (sale of noxious food or drink), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 34 of the IPC and under several sections under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. All the arrested are natives of Karnataka.

MiD DAY had earlier reported on a similar racket (‘Your milk packet may contain sewage water’, May 29) wherein four milk vendors were arrested for mixing sewage water in empty milk packets that were collected from garbage bins.

3 held for selling grimy milk in Kandivli The Kandivli police have arrested a three-member gang involved in selling adulterated milk in Kandivli (West). The raid took place around 5.30 am and the police, in alliance with FDA officials, seized milk packets of different brands that were adulterated and sold around Kandivli. The police seized nearly 430 litres of adulterated milk from them. The accused — Raju Ripaka, Yadgiri Saalya, and Chattaya Nanubodu — were booked under Sections 272, 273, 465, 420 and 34 of the IPC for adulterating milk and selling it to gullible customers.